Autodesk and Esri today announced the start of a new relationship to build a bridge between BIM and GIS mapping technologies. Together Autodesk and Esri plan to enable a broad range of industries to gain better context by visualizing data of the man-made world, the environment, citizens and the networks that weave it all together.

“It is important to consider the needs of future generations during the design and building of projects today,” said Jack Dangermond, President, Esri. “The benefits of partnering with Autodesk will include securing sustainable resources for the growing population, a responsible human footprint on our natural environment, better use of our planet’s resources and more resilient cities.”

For infrastructure owners around the world, both public and private, enabling BIM and GIS mapping software to more seamlessly work together will optimize their ability to plan, design, build and operate infrastructure assets saving precious time and money. Improving the integration of Esri and Autodesk software has the potential to dramatically decrease workflow times.

“Partnering with Esri is intended to combine the power of BIM and GIS mapping which will enable our shared customers to build anything, anywhere,” said Andrew Anagnost, CEO, Autodesk. “Our goals are to provide industry and city planners the ability to design in the context of the real world. This will allow communities to build more connected, resilient cities, and infrastructure with a focused eye on sustainability.”

Autodesk and Esri plan to work together to better integrate their respective technologies, allowing industry professionals to synthesize information from both BIM and GIS to enable a more connected infrastructure. Benefits are expected to include unprecedented reductions in permitting through improved stakeholder engagement, more sustainable and resilient design through enhanced project insight, and reduced risk via improved end-to-end flow of materials, resource availability and scheduling during construction.

“I’m thrilled to learn of the Autodesk and Esri strategic partnership,” said John Kizior, Global Director, Project Technologies. “At AECOM, we value innovative spirit, and I’m optimistic that this new strategic partnership will produce dynamic software synergies. The combined technology sets has the potential to provide new ways of connecting information across the project lifecycle to the benefit of our clients.”

The world is expected to add 2.5 billion more people in the next 30 years, 70 percent whom will reside in urban areas, putting extraordinary pressure on already strained infrastructure resources and requiring an infrastructure spend of US$3.3 trillion per year. To meet these challenges, the public and private sectors must find ways to streamline the entire transportation and infrastructure building lifecycle. The planned improvements to the integration of Esri and Autodesk software will change the way we build our future. It establishes a readiness to Make Anything, Anywhere – with The Science of Where.

This vision was announced by Andrew Anagnost and Jack Dangermond at Autodesk’s annual flagship user event, Autodesk University, in Las Vegas, Nevada. To learn more, please visit the Autodesk and Esri collaboration page.